MENASHA - I didn't know what to expect when I headed to my volunteer shift at St. Joseph Food Program on a recent Monday morning.

I found myself on my feet handing produce to a never-ending stream of people. I was joined by a group of regular volunteers, or the servers. On the other side, it was the people we were serving — the ones who never take a meal for granted.

"At first, you can tell a new client when they come," volunteer Mike St. Aubin tells me. "They're uncomfortable and we try to make them feel comfortable and I like to make them feel like there's no shame in doing it."

St. Joe's is a food pantry touching more than 5,000 individuals a week in the Fox Cities. It aims to relieve hunger by distributing nutritious food to those in need, something it's been doing for more than 25 years. Those utilizing the service go through an interview process establishing their eligibility based on income.

As the largest of the Fox Valley's food pantries, it's among the area programs that will again receive critical help from the annual Stock the Shelves fundraising campaign that launched on Sunday and will continue through Nov. 11. The fundraising program, which started with The Post-Crescent in 2010 and has now expanded into the 10 Wisconsin regions that make up USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, is looking to raise $325,000 across the state. Monies raised in the Fox Valley — the local goal is $90,000 — will stay in the Fox Valley to help stock the shelves of 25 area food pantries.

St. Aubin started volunteering at St. Joe's with his wife two years ago after they both retired.

"People feel that they're playing the system, they're getting stuff for free," St. Aubin said of those who visit St. Joe's. "They're here because they really need the help."

"They could have poor clothing or they could be dressed to the hilt, you think they have a lot, but we don't judge ... we don't know what their circumstances are."

So, who are they exactly?

Executive director Monica Clare said their clients are more of a diverse group than most people might think.

"We serve all kinds of folks," Clare said. "People who are disabled, people who are on social security, a lot of children who don't have any control over what their circumstances are.

"During the height of the recession, we had people who had never had to ask for help before who were asking for help, and now that the economy is better, those folks are back to work and we’re not seeing them anymore."

The individuality of the people coming through the line was one aspect I was surprised by. There were people shopping for just themselves to families made up of six or seven members. I saw mothers holding their baby in one arm and juggling the groceries in the other and some couples with three or four children trailing behind them.

There was one young man I remember distinctly who shared a small glimpse of his story. He said he's doing better than ever now given the fact that a few years ago he was homeless. Admittedly, he said he got himself in an unfortunate situation and worked his way out and is continuing to do so. He couldn't have been older than 30.

St. Joe's provides these individuals an alternative option to going hungry.

"In the best-case scenario, a food pantry wouldn’t be a necessary thing," Clare said. "But scripturally, we know that the poor are always going to be among us, and so there’s always going to be people who need us."

But those utilizing the program are not the only ones with something to gain from St. Joe's.

Jean Michalkiewicz will hit a year of service come May. After retiring last year, she started volunteering at the food bank every Monday.

Michalkiewicz used the volunteering opportunity to help her through the grief of her mother's death.

"It's the fact that I'm helping others that helped me fill in the gap of losing my mother," Michalkiewicz said.

"You see a lot of people coming through the line that are really desperate. ... A lot of them are down and out and I really enjoy doing it. It makes my day."

Kathy Seman, who has been volunteering at the food pantry for five years, said she's felt doing the service helps a large number of people in a concrete way.

"The people who come here are the working poor," Seman said. "They have jobs and sometimes more than one job and still need help and still need assistance.

"It's humbling to know that I can go to the store and get whatever I need or want ... there’s so much need for other people."

Another side of America

In the midst of election season, we are bombarded with promises of a better future.

At St. Joe's, you see first-hand the people who are often talking points on the campaign trail but left behind in legislation.

Spend some time at St. Joe's and you quickly realize that hunger in the United States is still a very relevant issue even when we have a strong economy.

Scott Schefe, operations manager at St. Joe's, said visiting developing countries through his military service helped him see first hand the problem of world hunger and was drawn to the idea of improving the issue in the U.S.

"I've always had a fixation on making sure my neighborhood wasn't as starving as people I have seen in Africa and such," Schefe said.

"Our clients every week — you can tell that they struggle in life on certain aspects and it might not be starvation, but it might be worth giving them $100 worth of some groceries or something every week that they can then take some money and use it elsewhere and provide something else for their family."

How to help

Stock the Shelves relies on the generosity of readers willing to donate to help fight hunger in their own communities. The campaign is driven by the donations of people like you. Please consider giving to Stock the Shelves to help support our food pantries in the Fox Valley. Visit http://www.wisinfo.com/wm/stock-the-shelves/appleton.php and click "Donate now" to help today.